Skip to main content
The Tax screen holds your company’s tax setup. You choose one tax mode for the whole company, then set each country’s details, such as tax-inclusive pricing and business tax ID.

​
Where to find it

In the admin, click the Settings gear in the top bar. In the Settings sidebar, under Commerce, select Taxes.

​
What’s on the screen

The screen has two cards: Tax Calculation, which sets one tax mode for your whole company, and Per-Country Tax Configuration, which lists your countries.

​
Tax Calculation

Choose one tax mode:
  • Droplet: connect your existing tax provider account through a droplet. When it’s selected, an Explore Available Droplets button appears and opens the Droplets page.
  • Custom Tax Integration: use callbacks to connect a tax provider that isn’t available as a droplet. When it’s selected, a Configure Callbacks button appears and opens the Callbacks screen.
  • Fluid’s Tax Solution: use Fluid’s pre-configured tax settings, which you can customize per country. When it’s selected, an Edit Tax Settings per Country button appears and opens the Countries screen. The Countries screen’s only tax field is Business tax ID number. Edit the other country tax settings in the Per-Country Tax Configuration card on this screen.
  • Avalara: use your own Avalara (AvaTax) account through Fluid’s built-in integration. When it’s selected, a credentials form appears under it.
  • Free Tax: charge no tax on any order, regardless of country or cart value.
  • Per Country: set a different tax mode for each country.
Clicking a mode doesn’t change your settings yet. After you click one, a Save button appears at the top of the page. The new mode takes effect when you click Save.

​
Avalara credentials

When Avalara is selected, the form under it stores your Avalara account credentials. You can keep one set for each environment:
  • Production and Sandbox tabs: choose which environment you’re editing. The environment Fluid uses to calculate tax has an Active badge.
  • Avalara username and Avalara password: your Avalara account sign-in. On a saved environment, leave these unchanged to keep the stored values.
  • Company code (optional): your AvaTax company code.
  • Save Credentials: saves the credentials for the selected tab. This button works separately from the page’s Save button.
  • Use this environment: appears on a saved environment that isn’t active. Click it to make that environment the active one.
  • Remove credentials: appears on a saved environment. Click it and confirm to delete the selected tab’s credentials.
The first environment you save becomes the active one. If Sandbox is active, Fluid calculates tax against Avalara’s sandbox, and the form reminds you to activate Production before you take real orders.

​
Per-Country Tax Configuration

The table lists your company’s countries:
  • Country: the country’s flag and name. Your default country has a Default badge.
  • Tax Mode: the country’s own tax mode. This column appears only in Per Country mode.
  • Tax Business ID: the country’s business tax ID, or a dash if none is set.
  • Last Updated: when the country’s settings last changed, for example Today or 3 days ago.
Use the search box to find a country by name. Click a row, or choose Edit Tax Settings from its actions menu, to open that country’s tax settings.
The Tax Mode column and the Bulk Settings Update button appear only after you save Per Country as your tax mode. Before you switch, read the warning under Choose your tax mode.

​
Country tax settings

The country’s tax settings open in a panel titled with the country’s name, for example Canada Tax Settings. In Per Country mode, you choose the country’s own tax mode in the panel. In any other mode, every country uses the company-wide tax mode, and the panel edits only the country’s tax details. Some fields depend on your tax mode:
  • Tax Mode: appears only in Per Country mode. Choose Tax Droplet, Custom Tax Integration, Fluid’s Tax Solution, Avalara or Free Tax for this country.
    • For Tax Droplet, pick one of your active tax droplets. For Custom Tax Integration, pick one of your custom tax callbacks, listed by URL.
    • If you have none, the panel says so and offers Explore Available Droplets or Configure Callbacks. The panel also reminds you to set the integration’s country filters in Droplets or Callbacks settings. The Callbacks screen has no country filter field.
    • For Avalara, the same credentials form appears. An Avalara environment must be active before you can save.
  • Tax Strategy: appears when the country uses Fluid’s Tax Solution. The panel lists only the strategies available for the country. If you haven’t chosen one, the panel pre-selects the first.
    • Use Fluid’s tax calculation settings: Fluid calculates tax automatically from your business location, the customer’s address and applicable tax laws.
    • Use Fluid’s flat rate for this country: Fluid calculates tax from its built-in tax table.
  • Tax Calculator: replaces Tax Strategy when your company-wide mode is Droplet, Custom Tax Integration, Avalara or Free Tax. It’s a note that says how tax is calculated for every country.
  • Commit transactions to Avalara: appears only for the United States and Canada, when Avalara calculates tax for the country.
    • Turn it on to file each paid order shipping to this country as a committed sales invoice on your Avalara account. These are real tax documents on your account.
    • Fluid voids or returns the invoice when the order is canceled or fully refunded.
    • To turn it on, your Production environment must be active, with a Company code saved on it.
These appear in every tax mode:
  • Tax-Inclusive Pricing: turn this on to display prices with tax included, as is common with VAT. When it’s on, the panel shows:
    • Tax rate: the country’s standard rate. You can’t edit it.
    • Tax name: the tax’s name, such as GST, VAT or Sales Tax. If the country has a default tax name, the field starts with it. If it doesn’t, Tax name is required.
  • Business tax ID number: your tax registration number for this country, such as a VAT, GST or EIN number. You can also edit it on the Countries screen.
  • Legal Disclaimer: a reminder that business laws vary by country, and that your business must comply with this country’s requirements. For some countries, it adds country-specific legal information. For others, it suggests you consult local legal experts.
  • Require Gaiyo Shomen in enrollment flows: a checkbox that appears only for Japan.
The panel ends with Cancel and Save.

​
Choose your tax mode

Saving a new company-wide mode also changes your countries:
  • Per Country: each country uses its own Tax Mode, which may not match the mode you were using. Check the Tax Mode column right after you save, and use Bulk Settings Update or each country’s settings to set the mode you want.
  • Fluid’s Tax Solution: Fluid sets each country’s Tax Strategy to Use Fluid’s tax calculation settings, including countries that used Use Fluid’s flat rate for this country.
  • Droplet, Custom Tax Integration, Avalara or Free Tax: Fluid clears each country’s Tax Strategy.
Any mode other than Per Country also clears the droplet or callback chosen in each country’s settings.
To use Avalara, follow Connect your Avalara account instead. If you’re switching to Droplet or Custom Tax Integration, set up the integration first. Click Droplet, then Explore Available Droplets, and install a tax droplet. Or click Custom Tax Integration, then Configure Callbacks, and set up your tax callback on the Callbacks screen. Either button leaves the Tax screen without saving the mode you clicked.
1

Select the mode

On the Tax screen (Taxes in the Settings sidebar), click the mode you want in the Tax Calculation card.
2

Save

Click Save at the top of the page. You see Tax settings updated successfully.

​
Connect your Avalara account

1

Select Avalara

In the Tax Calculation card, click Avalara. The credentials form appears under it.
2

Choose an environment

Click the Production or Sandbox tab.
3

Enter your credentials

Enter your Avalara username and Avalara password. If your AvaTax account uses a company code, enter it in Company code (optional). You need a company code on your Production environment to use Commit transactions to Avalara.
4

Save the credentials

Click Save Credentials. You see Avalara credentials saved. If this is the first environment you’ve saved, it becomes the active one.
5

Save the tax mode

Click Save at the top of the page. Save stays unavailable until an Avalara environment is active.
To switch environments, open the other tab and click Use this environment.

​
Edit a country’s tax settings

1

Open the country

In the Per-Country Tax Configuration card, click the country’s row, or choose Edit Tax Settings from its actions menu.
2

Change its settings

Update the fields you need. In Per Country mode, choose the country’s Tax Mode, and pick a droplet or callback if the mode needs one.
3

Save

Click Save. You see Country tax settings updated.
Save stays unavailable while a required choice is missing, such as a tax integration or a required Tax name.

​
Update several countries at once

1

Open the bulk update

In Per Country mode, click Bulk Settings Update in the Per-Country Tax Configuration card. The Bulk Tax Settings Update panel opens.
2

Choose a tax mode

Under Tax Mode, choose Tax Droplet, Custom Tax Integration, Fluid’s Tax Solution, Avalara or Free Tax. Fluid’s Tax Solution is selected when the panel opens. For Tax Droplet or Custom Tax Integration, also pick the integration. For Avalara, the credentials form appears, and an environment must be active.
3

Select the countries

Under Select Countries, check each country to update. Use the search box to filter the list. Select All checks every country in the filtered list, or unchecks them if they’re all checked. The heading shows how many countries you’ve selected.
4

Apply

Click Apply. You see Bulk tax settings updated.
A bulk update changes the tax mode, plus the integration for Tax Droplet or Custom Tax Integration. It doesn’t change a country’s inclusive pricing, tax name or business tax ID. Moving a country off Fluid’s Tax Solution clears its Tax Strategy.

​
FAQ

Different parts of this screen need different permissions on your role:
  • Company-wide tax mode: your role needs Access order settings and configuration (Checkout, Shipping, Taxes) under Orders, and Edit company details under Companies. Without the first, no Save button appears for the tax mode. Without the second, saving shows Error updating tax settings.
  • Country tax settings: your role needs Edit company country settings under Company Countries. Without it, a country’s panel has no Save button.
  • Avalara credentials: your role needs Edit company details under Companies. Without it, the form says You do not have permission to change Avalara credentials. In the Tax Calculation card, the Avalara fields are also unavailable without Access order settings and configuration (Checkout, Shipping, Taxes).
Orders is in the Commerce card of your role’s Permissions tab, and Companies and Company Countries are in the Settings card. Ask an admin who manages roles to update your role. See Roles.
You can’t remove the active environment’s credentials while Avalara is your company-wide tax mode, or while any country’s own Tax Mode is Avalara. If you try, you see Avalara is the selected tax provider; select another provider before removing the active credentials.Each country keeps its own Tax Mode when you change the company-wide mode. You can see it in the Tax Mode column only after you save Per Country, so read the warning under Choose your tax mode first. If you’d rather not switch modes, contact support.
Email Fluid support at help@fluid.app. The Getting help page lists what to include in your request.
To change the active environment’s password, you don’t need to remove its credentials. Open its tab, enter the new password and click Save Credentials.You can always remove an environment that isn’t active. If you remove the active environment and the other one has saved credentials, the other one becomes active.
While any country that uses Avalara has Commit transactions to Avalara turned on, you can’t switch to the other environment. Invoices already filed stay on the Avalara account of the environment they were filed in. If you need to switch, contact support before you turn off Commit transactions to Avalara.
Email Fluid support at help@fluid.app. The Getting help page lists what to include in your request.